A
country should have an efficient military defense to ensure its own safety and
existence. But sometimes, some countries do not have sufficient amount of
volunteers to join the army. To solve that problem, some countries enforce a
policy that is called conscription.
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in military
service. It constrains all citizens of a country to be trained militarily and
to join the military service for some determined time. But until today, many
still argue whether conscription is necessary for a country or not.
Conscription
has at least five advantages. Firstly, participation in military service trains
someone to have a stronger character. The harsh environment and situations
build up someone's determination and perseverance in battling against all odds.
Someone who has strong characters tends to be a leader in the future, and this
gives a great advantage to the country. Moreover, someone learns the value of
the things that he has and learns to appreciate them. For instance, when
camping in the wilderness, wood has to be gathered to build a bonfire, tents
have to be built with poles, canvas, ropes, and many more. They will realize
the noticeable difference from the comfort of home, where the bed is laid ready
with pillows, blankets, and the room is equipped with an air-conditioner. They
will realize how lucky they are that they have a cozy house.
In
addition, participation in military service also sharpens social skills.
Surrounded with many people with same suffering will eventually make someone
tolerates and cooperates with others and will allow them to make friends.
Furthermore, participation in military service grooms oneself in physical
fitness. There are countless opportunities to train their life skills. Thus,
they learn to adapt to the surroundings and coping with the harsh environment.
These will improve their fitness. Lastly, compulsory military service
will make fine citizens who will be ready to defend their country when the need
arises. Through military service, one learns the importance of the safety of
the country. National military service thus brings out a sense of ownership and
responsibility in them.
On
the other hand, conscription has several disadvantages. Firstly, it violates
individual rights. There are a lot of people who do not have passion in
military. These people will not thrive and give their best, and the result can
be disappointing. Some people can even get a shortcut by paying a bribe.
Moreover, those who are conscripted may evade service, sometimes by leaving the
country. This gives a great disadvantage for the country because instead of
having an expanded army, it loses one of its citizens. Thirdly, conscription
underestimates the military forces of a country. Conscripting civilian citizens
to join the army means the country does not believe the ability of its own
military forces. Lastly, conscription needs big sum of money. If the plan of
conscription is not supported by sufficient fund, a country will instead face
bankruptcy.
In
conclusion, whether a country needs to enforce conscription or not depends on
its condition. A country which has minim military forces needs to enforce
conscription. A country which is in the middle of war also needs to enforce
conscription. But a country which has proper quality and quantity of military
forces does not require conscription, included Indonesia.